Telltale attachment for explosion engines



Oct. 7. 1924. 1,510,601 J. H. MOUNT TELLTALE ATTACHMENT FOR EXPLOSION ENGINES Filed March 22 1921 Patented Get. 7, 1924.

JOE-IN H. EIOUNT, 01E ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, NEVJ JERSEY.

TELLTALE ATTACHMENT FOR EXPLOSION ENGINES.

Application filed March 22.1921. Serial No. 454,548.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JorrN H. MOUNT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlantic Highlands, in the county of Monmouth and State of New Jersey, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Telltale Attachments for Explosion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a tell-tale attachment for explosion engines, whereby abnormal conditions within the cylinders, or in the ignition circuit, may be visually and reliably indicated.

An object of the invention is to provide such an attachment, whereby the circuit normally passing from the electrode through the usual spark gap to the metal casing of a spark plug, may be shunted directly-to the exterior of the metal casing of the spark plug and with or without a visible spark, and with provision for varying the length of the visible spark.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for readily cutting out the ignition in one or more cylinders of an engine, in order for instance to study the working of the remaining cylinders, the power ea? erted therein, &c.

Still another object is to provide a form. of attachment for accomplishing the purposes stated, which is cheap to manufacture, readily attachable to and detachable from the ordinary spark plug, and which presents no ditliculties as to operation, adjustment. &c.

@ther objects and aims of the in ention, more or less broad than those stated above, together with the advantages inherent, will be in part obvious and in part specifically referred to in the course of the following description of the elements, combinations, arrangements of parts, and applications of principles constituting the invention; and the scope of protection contemplated will appear from the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which are to be taken as part of this specification, and in which I have shown merely apreferred form of embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 illustrates in front elevation a spark plug with a detector or tell-tale made in aca finger 11 of conducting material.

cuit-controller, takenat right angles to each other; Figure 5 is a bottom plan viewof the subject-matter of Figure 6; Figure 6 is a side elevation illustrating a modified form of detector assembly; Figure 7 is a front elevation of another modified form of detector assembly; and Figure 8 is a side elevation of the same. 7

Referring to the numerals on the drawings, there is shown in Figures 1 and 2 the spark plug indicated by the reference character 1 and screwed. into the cylinder wall 2 of an explosion engine as usual. 3 indicates a usual electrode and 4: the binding nut appropriated thereto. insulator of porcelain or the like which surrounds the electrode 3' and insulates the same from the metal parts of the plug. 6 indicates a right-angled bracket, slotted as at 7 to engage the electrode 3 and to be clamped between the upper end of the porcelain 5 and the binding nut 4. Pivotally mounted in the other or vertical arm of the bracket 6, as by means of a screw 8, is a circuit controller or detector, comprising a hub portion 9, aninsulate'd handle 10, and

parts are so related that when the handle is turned to the dotted line position of Figure 1 the finger 11' will be in contact with a metallic ,part 12 exteriorly of the plug, this metallic part 12 of course being in electrical connection with the cylinder 2 and with ground 14. With the parts in the dotted line position of Figure 1, current coming to. the plug by way of wire 15 passes through the bracket 6. hub- 9. finger l1, metallic part 12 and to ground 1.1., the spark gap 16 being thereby shortcircuited. Thus ignition is cut off from the r 5 is the usual 7 The particular cylinder to which the spark plug is appropriated. If, howeve, the detector be moved to the full lin position of Fig ure 1 the current will pass through the electrode 6, jump the gap 16, and thence to the cylinder wall2 and to ground. If it be desired toascertain whether or not a particular cylinder is functioning normally, so far as ignition is concemed. this may be done by approaching the enc; of the finger 11 towards the metallic part 12 of the plug. from the full linefposition of Figure 1, whereupon it there be any interference with the free and normal passage of current through electrode 3, it will be revealed by the presence of a spark jumping the gap between the finger 11 and part 12; and the length of the spark and the size of the gap through which the spark will jump, will give to one skilled in the art a very good idea of the actual electrical conditions of the plug. It will be understood that the normal position of the detector is as shown in full lines in 1 Figure 1 that is, with the end of the finger l1 spaced away from the metallic part 12 by a distance greater than the extent of the gap 16, and preferably some means will be provided to yieldingly hold the detector in this normal position. 7

If it be desired to cut off the ignition from a particular cylinder the detector thereof will be moved to the dotted line position of Figure 1, whereby the gap 16 is short-circuited, so that a particular cylinder will not be active.

As a means for holding the detector in desired position to which it may be moved, I may provide the vertical arm ofthe brack et 6 with surfaces 17, 18 and 19 over which that part of the finger 11 adjacent the hub 9 passes as the finger is pivotally' moved. The surfaces 17 and 18 are raised and the surface 19 between them depressed, so that ifthe finger is resting in the depression 19 it tends to remain there and if it is moved to the right or left (Figure 5) beyond the high point 17 or 18, it also tends to re main in the position to which it is moved, the natural resilience of the finger of course permitting these various movements and assisting in maintaining the desired position.

In Figures 7 and 8 the detector is shown as made of one piece of metal in the form of a flat stamping 20, which is pivotally carried on the vertical arm of bracket 6 by means of a screw 8 as before, but with a wash-er 21 interposed between it and the bracket.

The uses which may be made of the device as described will be obvious to one skilled in the art and need not, it is thought he further dilated upon.

inasmuch as many changes could be made in the above construction, and many apparently widely different embodiments of my invention could be made without departing' from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above de scription or shown. in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the in vention which, as a matter of language might be said to fall therebetween.

1. A device of the kind described, com prising an angular bracket, one arm formed to engage the outwardly projecting part of a spark plug electrode and a detector finger pirotally mounted on the other arm of the bracket and movable into and out of contact with an exterior metal part of the plug, said bracket formed at the angled portion thereof wita a concaved surface for engagement with the detector finger beyond the latters point of support to maintain said finger in one of a plurality of positions to which it may be moved.

2 A device of the kind described, comprising a right angular bracket with the horizontal arm of the bracket secured to the outwardly projecting end of the electrode of a spark plug a detector having a relatively enlarged centralized portion constituting a hub. a threaded shank extending from one side of the hub and having an insulated handle threadedly engaged therewith and a contact finger extending from the opposite side of the hub" said detector finger pivotally supported throu h its hub to the vertical arm of the bracket and adapted for movement into and out of contact with an exposed metal part of the plug.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JOHN H. MQUNT. 

